Let’s be real. There’s nothing sexy about consistency.
In fact it is rather mundane. That’s part of its mystery. Within the confines of the everyday lies the secret key to unlocking a life well lived. Yet only the few who purposefully pursue the path of a self disciplined life see it. These are the ones who reap the limitless rewards that the wandering can only dream about.
If your life feels a bit chaotic at the moment, it could be that your self-discipline muscles have gotten a bit – well, flabby. I only know this from personal experience. When I start to feel like I’m living inside a tornado, all I have to do is squeeze my squishy “consistency biceps” to realize work needs to be done.
In the past my downward slide during a season of busyness would start innocently enough. My closet was always the first victim, thankfully I could close the door and nobody needed to know. Next, I started lacking the time to properly meal-prep. I’d stop by the “Green Mermaid” aka Starbucks for a quick bite. Health alert! Then the workout schedule gets squeezed and the morning run gets cut from the line-up. The spiral begins to deepen. I come home from a crazy day and have a glass of wine to relax with dinner. Convinced it’s just one harmless glass, it becomes a nightly stress crutch. If I don’t pull myself out, the mood begins to suffer and the “Negative Nellies” take over. Headaches are my body’s warning sign of impending doom and then the autoimmune issues start showing up. My body, and yours, can only handle so much stress until it starts screaming back at us to pay attention.
Consistency may not be sexy, but the rewards of self-discipline show up powerfully in a beautiful life. I’ve heard John Maxwell say that, “I’m getting compound interest off a consistent lifestyle.” Considering that he began his personal growth journey in his twenties, has written over 100 books and sold millions, has had an audience with world leaders in all 160 countries, and spoken on leadership to tens of millions of people worldwide – his very life is a testimony of consistency.
On the other side of discipline and consistent daily practices is freedom of choice and abundance. If we do the hard work now our tomorrows will begin to respond with endless possibilities. If we choose to go with the flow today our tomorrows will be infinitely more difficult.
Whether your life may feel out of order in every single direction or you are just seeing the beginning signs of “flabby self-discipline” muscles, you are in the right place. The first step is to take some time to reflect on what is out of control in your life. Then narrow it down to “The Instigator”. That one area that when it starts getting out of whack it launches the downward spiral.
For me, it has always been preparing for a large event that consumes all my time and energy. I needed to learn how to take on big events and prepare safeguards in advance to protect me from the self–imposed whirlwind.
Here’s my favorite techniques for developing stronger self discipline in all areas of my life.
Sometimes, we look at our life and get a bit overzealous. We decide we need a complete overhaul in every area – NOW! It doesn’t take too long to figure out that’s a recipe for never moving past step one.
Start with something very simple. Choose the one thing that by developing a consistent habit around that will make everything else fall into place. If my clients are struggling to bring a chaotic life into order, I always suggest a simple morning routine. That may look like a consistent wake-up time, no phone or tech for the first hour, hydrate before you caffeinate, feed your spirit and then move your body. Create calm first and set in place the emotions you choose to experience for the day.
Once you’ve developed stronger muscles in this one area, move on to the next. Do finances keep you up at night? Start working on a budget, a plan to pay off debt, read books and listen to podcasts on how to become financially literate and ultimately financially free.
Does worry over your “adult-ing” children rob you of a calm heart all day long? Practice acknowledging everyday that you have done your job. Open your hands daily and release your ADULT children into the hands of God. When I fall into this particular worry, I tell myself outloud to stop “wearing their clothes”, they do not fit me. I can encourage, I can advise only if it’s asked for and I can pray without ceasing for our adult children. But I was not created to “wear their clothes”. It is their job now to find clothes that fit.
Take the time to recognize the woman you are becoming along the way. Be proud of the progress you are making no matter how small – you are growing my friend!
“When you agree with God about your potential, you grow into it.” Steve Furtick
Have you ever planted a vegetable or flower garden from seed? It is a looooong process. We do not plant a seed in the ground and then the next day become frustrated that we see zero results. Can you imagine if we dug up the seed every day to check if it’s growing? We would never see any results. Plant the “consistency seed”. Water it every day. Give it plenty of sunshine and space to grow. Rejoice at the first signs of green pushing up through the soil. That little sprout is just the beginning of amazing growth. It took over 600 pounds of consolidated pressure to push up through the seed casing and up into the light.
Same with you. The first few weeks it takes some serious dedication to keep at it. Do not throw in the towel. Keep at it! The results are just around the corner. Touch base with that woman you will become if you persevere. I find it comforting to know that God already knows and sees that future version of you. He created you whole with everything you need for this life tucked inside your DNA. You simply need to grow into that woman – EVERY DAY! Don’t lose heart, be patient with yourself and lean into your Father.
God says of Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) God knows you too, my friend and the plans he has for you.
As you are diligently working day by day to build those self-discipline muscles, learn to rest in where you stand today. It is good to be forward focused, but be cautious that you don’t let that lead to discouragement. “The dream you have is free, but the journey is not”, says John Maxwell. It will cost and it will take time. Learn to find joy in the journey. Celebrate the wins after each day, even if you have to search hard to claim one. Think of joy as your full time job. Misery is a choice.
Steve Furtick of Elevation Church says, “A grateful heart is a stable heart.” I couldn’t agree more. Finding thankfulness in the process will serve to quiet your heart. It will teach you to be at peace on the journey. There is no rushing the rewards of consistency. Muscles take time to develop, breaking down and building back up, over and over, day after day, year after year.
The beautiful outcome is that every single day you are growing stronger and moving farther away from chaos and closer to order in your life.
Go ahead and flex your consistency-biceps. No more flabby muscles for you my friend!
